Virtual doctor services in Ireland: what they can and cannot do

"Virtual doctor", "online GP" and "telemedicine" all describe the same thing in Ireland: a consultation with a registered doctor conducted remotely. What varies between services is scope — whether you are actually seen, what can be issued afterwards, and what happens to your record.

What a virtual GP service can provide

• Assessment and treatment of common acute illness: respiratory, urinary, skin, eye and gastrointestinal problems.
• Prescriptions transmitted by Healthmail to any community pharmacy in Ireland.
• Sick certificates for employers, schools and colleges.
• Referral letters to consultants and allied health professionals.
• Blood test requests and result review.
• Review of long-term medication: contraception, asthma, blood pressure, cholesterol.
• Travel health and weight-management programmes with structured follow-up.

What it cannot replace

Remote care is a means of delivering general practice, not a different standard of it. Where an examination, a procedure or immediate hands-on assessment is required, the consultation should end with a clear plan to be seen in person — and that decision is a clinical success, not a failed booking.

The safeguards a service should have

1. Identity and registration: named, IMC-registered GPs with registration numbers on issued documents.
2. A structured pre-consultation history, including allergies, current medicines and pregnancy or breastfeeding status where relevant.
3. Automatic prescribing checks for drug interactions, allergies and pregnancy safety.
4. A written clinical record for every consultation, held under GDPR with EU hosting.
5. Consent-based sharing with your own GP for continuity.
6. A clear escalation policy to emergency and out-of-hours care.

Coverage across Ireland

Because the service is delivered over video and phone, it works the same in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford or rural Donegal. Prescriptions go to whichever pharmacy you nominate, so you collect locally.

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